Executive Chef Eren Polat and his wife Nigjar invite you to their newest restaurant, Sofra Turkish Grill a cozy neighborhood restaurantin Waterbury, Connecticut. The restaurant, which opened in late July 2023, has been drawing healthy crowds from Cheshire to Fairfield. No stranger to the restaurant world, Chef has over 25 years of experience in prominent restaurants in Turkey and Greece before opening his own Eren’s Grill in Fairfield. He opened Sofra to be closer to home and his family.
Chef hails from Adana, Turkey’s fourth largest city, located in the south where the Seyhan River meets the Mediterranean. One of the oldest cities in the world, it’s a major agricultural area and known for its distinctive cuisine, specifically the “Adana Kebabi,” a unique dish comprised of hand-minced meat prepared with a special knife called a Satir that closely resembles a machete. Authenticity is paramount as Chef remains true to his roots using the skills and techniques so prevalent in his country. So determined is he to do this, that many ingredients are imported directly from Turkey, some from Adana specifically.
With Winter upon us, and CT residents itching for some warmth and sun, we asked our sister site MIABites.com for a little dining advice for all those heading to Florida this season. Here are some of MIAbites Contributors Best Bites for "am to pm" dining in and around Miami, Miami Beach, Wynwood and the Design District.
Obviously, all of the Miami Beach hotels have top restaurants and prices to match. Jose Andres The Bazaar and Katsuya at the SLS South Beach, Scarpetta, StripSteak and Pizza Burger by Michael Mina and Hakkasan at The Fontainebleau , Mr. Chow at The W South Beach, Pao by Paul Qui and Los Fuegos at Faena and Jean Georges, The Matador Room at the EDITION, the relocated NOBU in the Nobu Hotel Eden Roc, are all popular and top picks where chances are you will have a delicious albeit expensive meal. But if you’d like to dig deeper into the Mimi food scene, check out our guide by category…
Art Basel and Miami Art Week starts next week with previews, opening night parties and of course, ART. But did you know that MIAbites has nicknamed Art Basel… EAT Basel? "Where should we eat in Miami?" Here are some ofOurContributors Best Bites for Art Basel dining in and around Miami, Miami Beach, Wynwood and the Design District.
All of the Miami Beach hotels have top restaurants and prices to match. Jose Andres The Bazaar and Katsuyaat the SLS South Beach, Scarpetta, StripSteak and Pizza Burger by Michael Mina and Hakkasan at The Fontainebleau, The Dutch and Mr. Chow at The W South Beach, Pao by Paul Qui and Los Fuegos at Faena and Jean-Georges’ The Matador Room at the EDITION, the relocated NOBU in the Nobu Hotel Eden Roc, are all popular and top picks where chances are you will have a delicious albeit expensive meal.
The Holiday season is upon us and everyone is always asking us, "Where should I eat in Miami?" Here are some of MIAbites Contributors Best Bites for "am to pm" dining in and around Miami and Miami Beach. Dinner reservations are strongly recommended and should be made in advance if possible.
All of the Miami Beach hotels have top restaurants and prices to match. Jose Andres The Bazaar and Katsuyaat the SLS South Beach, Scarpetta, StripSteak and PIzza Burger by Michael Mina and Hakkasan at The Fontainebleau , The Dutch and Mr. Chow at The W South Beach, Pao by Paul Qui and Los Fuegos at Faena and Jean Georges, The Matador Room at the EDITION, the newly relocated NOBU in the Nobu Hotel Eden Roc, are all popular and top picks where chances are you will have a delicious albeit expensive meal.
So by request, the MIAbites contributors put our heads together to flesh out the restaurant scene and to compile our suggestions for dining while in Miami.
February is our favorite month in Miami as the South Beach Wine and Food Festival and it’s over 65, 000 guests take over Miami Beach and surrounding Miami venues from February 22-26 for 4+ days of Food, Wine, Fun and maybe even a little sun in between all of the over 85 different events and seminars.
Now in its 16th year and hosted by Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits and Florida International University (FIU), the Festival benefits FIU’s Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. To date, the Festival has raised more than $24 million for the school.
So, where to begin? Here are MIAbites picks for best 12 SOBEWFF events with a focus on some of the amazing local chef talent and local venues featured this year in collaboration with many of your favorite Food Network stars. Many events sell out quickly, so check availability and buy your tickets online at www.sobefest.com. ( Pro Tip- Many of the below events have limited discount tickets available on both Gilt City and Groupon.)
Art Basel Miami and Miami Art Week November 29- December 4th welcomes over 75,000 art enthusiasts from around the world for a week of huge tented shows like Untitled, PULSE, Art Miami and Spectrum, gallery and museum shows and private and intimate art shows at private homes. But, Miami also offers an amazing array of dining and late night options, some of which were highlighted in this past weekends, New York Times “36 Hours in Miami”( insert NYT link? ).
If you are headed to Miami for Art Basel, here are MIAbites Top picks.
Dinner reservations are necessary and should be made in advance if possible.
By request….CTBites is trying out a new column, TravelBites, for our readers heading out of the great state of CT. These articles will feature popular vacation/business travel destinations for local CT residents, but if you have a suggestion for a TRAVELbites, contact us.
Our first article features Chef Dena Marino and MC Kitchen in sunny Miami….one of the fastest growing “foodie” hubs in the US.
Hot culinary spots are opening in hotel restaurants like SLS South Beach with Katsuya or The Bazaar by Jose Andres as well as Soho transplant, Lure Fishbar in the Loews. Funky hipster dining options are popping up practically daily in the emerging fashion and art neighborhoods like in the Design District , Midtown and Wynwood…Miami and Miami Beach has something for everyone.
MC Kitchen, opened a little over a year ago, is the passionate creation of Chef Dena Marino and her friend, Brandy Coletta Hence, the M and C ). Chef Dena, who actually hails originally from northern New Jersey, moved to Miami a little over three years from her executive chef position at Ajax Tavern in Aspen to head up the kitchen at the now defunct Danny Devito’s restaurant, Devitos.
The first thing I noticed when I walked into Eren’s Grill was the neatness and precision of the refrigerator case. Platters of perfectly aligned kebabs await the grill. Bowls of bright-red-hued eggplant-tomato salad and pale, fluffy humus. Glistening rows of dark-green stuffed grape leaves. Then Eren, a young man wearing chef’s white’s embellished with the Turkish flag, stepped out from the open kitchen and proudly started telling me about his fresh and homemade food.
Fairfield’s new and only Turkish restaurant is a small joint in a strip mall. With just a few tables, it does a lot of take-out and catering. Whether eat-in or take-out, it’s a welcome addition to the Tunxis Hill section of Fairfield, a neighborhood that could use more good food. And the food here is good: fresh and full of flavor. Ottoman cuisine has a long and noble history, and Eren – who was head chef of the Athens’ Tike, an international group of Turkish restaurants in places like London, Cyprus and Kiev -- for 8 years -- is proud to put his signature on it. “I want to play a little,” he says.
Last spring we told you about Bereket, an tiny authentic Turkish eatery tucked behind a gas station in Bridgeport. This fortuitous find primarily offered takeout, but if you were lucky enough to get one of the 3 small tables, you were served food worthy of an Ottoman emperor. While we loved hiding out behind the Citgo station, we were pleased to hear that owner Selahattin Cinar had moved his very reasonably priced menu and talented cooks to a much larger space in Blackrock (the old Helados Vazquez). With an upgraded interior worthy of the excellent fare, Selahattin can now focus on the customer experience...and a more gracious host you've never seen. Warm up your car for a quick departure to Bridgeport.
It's been 24 hours since I left Bereket, a tiny hole in the wall Turkish restaurant located behind a Citgo station on Bridgeport's Main Street. As I write this I wonder, is it too soon to go back?
Bereket has been dubbed by people in the know as Fairfield County's best kept secret, and I finally understand what all the fuss is about. Mind you, this place is not fussy. Hidden beside of the gas station's mini mart, Bereket's small dining space has only 3 tables and boxes of Turkish beverages and pantry staples lining the walls. But what this single room Turkish delight lacks in ambiance, it makes up for in the quality, freshness, and flavor of the food.
Owner Selahattin Cinar has been in business for 6 years, and chats with customers while holding court in the kitchen preparing a steady stream of take-out orders. He greeted us warmly as we walked in, and we were relieved to find that he spoke enough English to answer questions and help us navigate their extensive menu. When we asked what was good, we were led to a display case filled with cold mezes (appetizers) and kebabs awaiting the heat, and simply told,it's all good. And it was.
